Abstract
AN announcement was made in the Press on October io by the British Broadcasting Company concerning the conditions which, in order to obtain Post Office approval, must be fulfilled by receiving apparatus intended for use in connexion with the broadcasting services. The conditions have been framed with the view of preventing the use, in such sets, of circuits which may “regenerate” oscillations and thus cause disturbances at receiving stations within their reradiation range. Experience has indicated the need, in the case of receiving apparatus handled by an unskilful user, for some form of control in the type and design of the apparatus of the nature which is aimed at in the specification in question; the specification accordingly should serve a useful purpose. Exception has been taken in some quarters to the provisions contained in clause io of the conditions above referred to, on the ground that these particular conditions conflict with the promise made by the Postmaster-General in the House of Commons on July 27 last, to the effect that the owners of “homemade ” receiving apparatus and the existing licencees of imported receiving sets would be allowed to use their apparatus for listening-in to broadcasted news, music, etc. This clause provides, inter alia, that “All sets sold under the broadcast licence shall bear the registered trade mark of the broadcasting company and the Post Office registered number.” It has consequently been assumed that the issue of licences for receiving broadcasted matter will be confined to those who procure listening sets from the broadcasting company. It appears to have been overlooked, however, that the announcement to which attention is directed above has been issued by the British Broadcasting Company and relates alone to the conditions to be fulfilled by the receiving sets which are to be offered for sale to the public by members of that corporation. No declaration has so far been made by the Post Office which in any way indicates that the Postmaster-General contemplates the adoption of a policy at variance with that which he informed Parliament it was his intention to pursue in this matter; nevertheless, it is distinctly unfortunate that, in all the circumstances of the case, an official statement has not been issued by the Post Office setting out fully and frankly what course it is intended to pursue in relation to the grant of licences generally.
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Current Topics and Events. Nature 110, 553–555 (1922). https://doi.org/10.1038/110553a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/110553a0